u/EMJG31

The reality is it’s very rare that prem proven talents or as I call them “big fishes in a small pond” become world beaters. Declan Rice may be an exception to the rule but this doesn’t happen very often at all.

Think of all the recent great attackers to come to the Premier League… Fernandes, KDB, Hazard, Alexis, Salah etc they all came from foreign leagues and could have quite easily been busts but ended being some of the best attackers this past decade.

The talent pool for difference making attacking talent is very scarce at this moment in time and although we have guys like Saka, Eze and Odegaard I don’t believe we have an Olise/Kvara/Prime Alexis attacking level talent YET. I think looking around in other top 5/6 leagues is our best bet.

Arsenal last year were missing arguably their best centre half, had no striker profile (a makeshift striker in both legs), a makeshift LB and Partey who was missing in the first leg.

If you compare that to now (knock on wood) where they have two strikers they can rely on, Hincapié and Calafiori as LB options. Zubimendi and Lewis Skelly who no longer has to play as a left back and Gabriel as well as different profiles in the attacking midfield position such as Ode and Eze.

It’s also worth mentioning the difference in benches that Arsenal have at their disposal. They are significantly deeper than last year where half their bench was academy kids.

Adding context despite these handicaps Arsenal actually across the two legs had relatively equal amounts of possesion and shots on target and big chances created the biggest difference in that tie was Donnaruma who was just insane.

If Arsenal can win the league there will also be a significant mental weight lifted from their shoulders and their confidence will be sky high. PSG take winning their domestic league as a given so they won’t be in that same euphoric state.

PSG are unquestionably the best team in the world and should win this match but i think crazier things have happened in a CL Final and Arsenal HAVE shown they don’t fear PSG even if outperformed.

Hot take : “Prem proven” sounds nice in theory but if we want to improve our attack next season and have it reach another level we have to take risks and find high ceiling talent elsewhere.

We have to give a shoutout to the skipper today. He gets a lot of critiscism but he was unbelievable when we needed him in arguably the biggest game of our season. That goal today starts with him.